Page 37 of Married to the Lord

She opened her mouth and closed it. As wonderful as Henry was, he had never been one for introspection or apologies.

“I have treated you poorly and I will have to beg your forgiveness for that.”

Her heart panged as she recalled another person who wanted her forgiveness. Why they all thought it was so hard to gain from her, she did not know. She never considered she might have any power over anyone so why would she not grant it easily?

“Henry, you do not—”

He held up a hand. “I was immature and in an ill frame of mind. However, I am returned for good, and I should like to make good on my promise to you.”

She felt the breath trap in her lungs. How many times had she imagined him returning for her? Telling her that all was well and they would marry? There had been various scenarios, including him taking her into his arms and kissing her breathlessly or perhaps her flinging her arms around him and being so bold as to kiss him.

Her arms felt leaden and he made no approach. She was somewhat grateful for his caution. After all, she had been kissing his brother only days ago. She regretted he was being so pleasant and kind. It would make it a lot easier to feel no guilt over what she had done with Miles if he had no apologies to make.

“If you feel you have it in you to forgive me, I should like to set a date soon. We shall have to marry locally—there will be no big event—but I suspect you would prefer that.”

She smiled vaguely. Henry knew her to an extent—understood her shyness and dislike of attention. She should not be surprised by that. After all, they had spent many days together throughout their lives.

“I would prefer that,” she agreed.

“Excellent. Shall we walk some more?” he suggested. “I was not lying about wishing to see the lands around your house. They hold a great many good memories for me.”

“Please.”

They strolled along the road then followed the worn line that cut through the grass and would lead toward his family’s estate.

“I imagine you have seen some quite exotic landscapes on your adventures,” she commented.

“Indeed, though there is something about England’s gentle beauty that I missed.”

“You shall have to regale me of your travels.”

“I will. And you must promise to tell me all with which you’ve been occupied.”

Augusta swallowed. Her time had been filled with horses, embroidery, tiresome socials events, and...and, well, kissing Miles. Good lord, what a terrible person she was. Henry should never have abandoned her for so long but that did not justify her own behavior. She exhaled slowly.

“Henry, I—”

“I should like for us to start again, Augusta.” He paused by the brow of the slope that led down toward the Charlecote estate. From here, they could see the tips of the house, its elegant adornments peeking up over the land. She could not help wonder if Miles was home.

Was he thinking of her?

No, of course not. He likely wished to push her from his mind just as she did him. For him, it was probably easy enough.

She turned to Henry. “I...I fear I have not been as...as loyal a fiancée as I should have been.”

Henry’s lips curved. “Whatever you have done, Augusta, my sins are far worse. I should never have left you for so long. It is my hope that we can forget these years and go on as we intended. I think we are a good match, you and I. We have always had a good time together, have we not?”

She nodded, biting down on her bottom lip. Henry likely did not realize quite what she meant about her disloyalty. After all, no one would expect that quiet Miss Augusta Snow might kiss another man!

But he was right. They were a good match. They had known each other for a long time and Henry’s easy manner always seemed to bring her out of her shell. Whenever they attended balls and the like, she knew Henry would take the attention for her, allowing her to slip back into being a wallflower with ease. She doubted they would ever argue and despite Henry’s absence, he was no bad man. There were far too many husbands out there who were willing to lay a hand on their wives or ignore them once they had borne them a child.

If she married Henry, she would be safe, and content.

And she would have no choice but to forget she had ever had any feelings for Miles.

“So what do you say? Shall we set a date?” He took her hand and eased off her glove, keeping hold of it in one hand while his gloved fingers held her own. It was the sort of moment she had dreamed of not so long ago.

She focused hard on drawing pleasure from the moment, in looking into blue eyes whose beauty she had once thought could never be beaten by anyone else’s. She absorbed the feeling of his strong hand upon hers and tried to find the tingle that should arise and send the tiny hairs on her arms standing on end. He dropped his lips to the back of her hand, brushing them briefly over her knuckles. They were warm and soft but there were no tingles.

He straightened and grinned. “If you wish to make me wait, I would not hold it against you.”

She glanced to the house, imagining Miles sitting in his drawing room then looked back to Henry, his strong features highlighted by the afternoon sun. This was real. This was within reach. “I would not make you wait,” she finally said. “Let us set a date.”

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